The Town of Greenfield is the newest signatory to a class-action lawsuit against the three largest opioid pharmaceutical distributors (the “Big Three”), McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen. Spearheaded by the leadership of Greenfield Mayor William F. Martin, the lawsuit is being filed by Levin Papantonio of Pensacola, FL.and Sweeney Merrigan Law of Boston, and Greenfield, MA founded by Greenfield natives Thomas T. Merrigan, Peter M. Merrigan and J. Tucker Merrigan.
The goal of the lawsuit is to recoup local and town budget dollars spent for law enforcement, needle exchanges, Narcan, education/prevention, treatment costs (where applicable), etc., and ultimately to develop new policy and law to protect individuals and communities moving forward. The pharmaceutical distributors face state law liability for negligence. The standard of care is established by the industry standards as outlined in HDMA’s “Guidelines,” the federal statutes and regulations, and by applicable state law. The named distributors in the lawsuit violated this standard of care by breaching their duty to identify and report suspicious opioid orders to the DEA or other relevant state agencies.
